Why 3" trackball

[marcopolo]

I'm trying to figure out why most people use a 3" trackball in their MAME cabinets.   I believe many of the classics like Centipede used a 2.25" ball which moved very fast and has plenty of control.  I played on my friends Mame box a week ago (had a Happ 3" translucent trackball) and the ball worked ok, but you could not whip it around like the 2.25".  

Am I missing something (a reason why you would want the 3") or is this simply personal preference?

Marco

[1UP]

I'm sure the size of trackballs on old machines had more to do with cost than performance.  The preference for larger trackballs could be because a lot of us were smaller when we played these games, so the trackball seemed bigger...

[RacerX]

I got a 3" because I thought it would be good for use with classic games like Centipede and Missile Command while also working well for the PC version of Golden Tee Golf.

[SirPoonga]

Hmm, missle command, that used 4" I believe.

[RacerX]

Hmm, missle command, that used 4" I believe.

That's another reason I got the 3".  It was a compromise between Centipede and Missile Command.

[u_rebelscum]

Some possible reasons:

a) 3" are used more often now in the arcade (mostly golf and bowling games); maybe some are more used to that size.

b) 3" is bigger, and some follow the "bigger is better" saying.

c) 3" are heavier.  This does make "whipping" it around a little harder, but lets it continue spinning longer after letting go.  (One of my reasons; I have bad memories of gummed up trackballs that would stop the instant I let go.)

d) some of the not-as-old-as-classics games had two different control panel designs: 'standard' w/ 2 1/4", and a 'deluxe' w/ 3".  I remember using the 'deluxe' at my local arcades of long ago.

e) 1up's "we were smaller when we played these games, so the trackball seemed bigger" was the third reason I got a 3" TB.

f) It's expense / space consuming / a hassle to have a 2 1/4" trackball cp for the old classics and a 3" tb cp for the newer classics.  Instead of switching the cp depending on what game I was playing, I am going with only one size tb (for now ).

All personal reasons, for sure. [shrug]